Photos: Subcompact road test

The contenders

The players include the 2010 Honda Fit Sport, 2010 Scion xD, 2010 Nissan Cube Krom and the all-new 2011 Ford Fiesta SES , all equipped with automatic transmissions. Buyers who downsize to a smaller car need not be left in a bean-sized econo-box.

The players include the 2010 Honda Fit Sport, 2010 Scion xD, 2010 Nissan Cube Krom and the all-new 2011 Ford Fiesta SES , all equipped with automatic transmissions. Buyers who downsize to a smaller car need not be left in a bean-sized econo-box.

Heavy rain and winds on the interstate route took these four cars and threw some of them around the road, according to Cars.com editor Joe Bruzek. The Fiesta drove with the confidence of a car twice its size, while the Fit, Cube and xD seemed to be more at home on city streets.

Heavy rain and winds on the interstate route took these four cars and threw some of them around the road, according to Cars.com editor Joe Bruzek. The Fiesta drove with the confidence of a car twice its size, while the Fit, Cube and xD seemed to be more at home on city streets.